Semai Ethnogeography: Tracing an Indigenous Forest-Based Conceptual System Via Place-Name Referents

Abstract

I report on Semai Orang Asli place-name referents or landscape terms. Overall, place-names are closely tied to Semai customs, forest resources, historical events, and spiritual beliefs, reflecting the long history of Semai use of the forest, particularly for swiddening and agroforestry. Specifically, place-name referents show how Semai perceive the forest landscape. In dense forest, visual cues alone are insufficient for navigation; instead, bodily memory of flowing water, soil quality, elevations and depressions is relied upon to access different areas in the forest. My research contributes to the limited data on Austroasiatic place-naming. It highlights the importance of studying toponyms and place narratives in research on indigenous ecological classifications, settlement history and land tenure.